Present material handling operations require loading machinery that will deliver to a designated area a variety of articles of different sizes, shapes, weights and compositions quickly, efficiently and with a minimum of labor. A particular applications for which the present invention is highly suited is the loading of boxes containing cuts of meat from refrigerated storage and stacking them in a transport car at the loading dock. Prior known practices for this application used commercial conveyors and lift trucks and pallets, which necessitated considerable manual lifting, carrying and stacking.
In providing loading apparatus at a loading dock, the space requirements, ease of manipulation and comparative cost with lift trucks, pallets and manual handling are prime factors to be considered. The present invention has been found particularly effective for loading boxes containing cuts of meat from refrigerated storage into a transport box but it is understood that the present invention is applicable to moving a large variety of different types of articles in different loading situations.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel loading apparatus for articles, such as boxed cuts of meat, characterized by its simplicity, durability and ease of operation affording a minimum of manual handling and a loading thereof that is much more rapid than if done by hand.
Another object of this invention is to provide a novel loading apparatus that will convey a plurality of articles over a relatively long distance and a distance that varies as the loading takes place and typically extends from a point substantially inside a loading dock of a warehouse all the way into the back of a transport car parked adjacent the loading dock.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a novel loading apparatus for articles having a highly versatile, self-propelled discharge conveyor section that will travel on a wheeled vehicle along the loading dock, through the doorway and into a transport car box and be readily shifted upward, down and from side to side and reverse its position in the car to deposit the articles being dilivered in a steady stream to all parts of the receiving area whereby the articles may be stacked in a continuous sequence.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel loading apparatus that is readily shifted and positioned while conveying the articles and is movable between an extended and retracted position wherein conveyor sections are stacked one on another in a retracted position to take up a minimum, out of the way space when not in use.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel loading apparatus having independent, manually operable means at the discharge end for controlling the entire sequence of loading operations from either side thereof.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel loading apparatus having a power driven discharge conveyor section pivotally mounted on a wheeled vehicle for free movement at its intake end to swing from side to side in a horizontal plane and power driven to swing in a vertical plane to stack the articles in the receiving area while the articles are being delivered in a continuous stream.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide highly efficient loading apparatus characterized by the provision of a self-propelled vehicle carrying a discharge conveyor and moving trailing power driven transfer conveyors whereby the trailing conveyors are moved toward and retracted away from the discharge area by the movement of the vehicle and whereby the vehicle is driven into the receiving area and the discharge end of the discharge conveyor moved to the desired point laterally and vertically to stack each successive article in a continuous stacking operation.